:
Anthony Higgins,
Anthony Higgins,
Janet Suzman,
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:
Peter Greenaway,
Peter Greenaway
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Zeitgeist Films
: Comedies, Cult, Drama, Foreign, Black Comedy, Experimental/Avant-Garde, Fantasy, UK
: 108 min.
: English
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Peter Greenaway's first fiction feature (after the mock-documentary The Falls) made him immediately famous and was named one of the most original films of the 1980s by British critics. The action is set in the director's beloved 17th century. Ambitious young artist Mr. Neville (Anthony Higgins) is invited by Mrs. Herbert (Janet Suzman) to make 12 elaborate sketches of her estate. Besides money, the contract includes sexual favors that Mrs. Herbert will offer to the draughtsman in the absence of Mr. Herbert. Entirely confident in his ability to weave a web of intrigues, Mr. Neville eventually becomes a victim of someone else's elaborate scheme. The film is structured as a sophisticated intellectual puzzle like the ones popular in the 17th century. There is a lot to pay attention to besides the intrigues -- fancy wigs, conversations by candlelight, English parks, Purcell-inspired baroque music by Michael Nyman, all to please the eyes, soothe the ears, and stimulate the mind. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide
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| Hypnotizing
by Texan99
September 5, 2010 - 2:06 PM PDT
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| When I first saw this film in the theater in the early 1980s, people were getting up and leaving in droves. I could understand why; the movie is either completely over my head or it makes very little sense. Even so, I stayed through the end and never got it out of my mind. I've picked it up and re-watched it several times since then. It doesn't matter whether I understand it; it's so gorgeous to watch that it's like downing a whole box of peanut brittle without quite knowing why you're doing it. Just treat it like a painting. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.10)
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